Internal-combustion engine.



E. BERLINER. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR 31, 1909.

' Patented July 20. 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l E. BERLINER.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR 31, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 anuenfon I Patented July 20, 1909.

EMILE BERLINER, OF WASHINGTON,'DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 20, 1909.

Application filed March 31, 1909. Serial No. 487,033.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMILEBERLINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines of that type in which a full charge of explosive mixture is drawn into the cylinder on the suction stroke and the speed and power are controlled by permitting any desired portion of the charge to return past the inlet valve during the compression stroke, the quantity retained being compressed and determining the power.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved form of valve-o erating and contro ling cam having a plurc ity of cam surfaces, any of which may be readily brought into operative relation with the valve rods or similar transmission devices for the purpose of varying the point at which compression commences, and thus varying the power and speed of the engine.

ith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novolconstruction and arran ement of parts hereinafter described, il ustratedin the accompanying drawings, and particularly ointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details of construction and proportion of parts may be made without departing from the invention.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a vertical section through one of the cylinders and crank case of an engine embody ing the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the engine, the crank shaft being shown in section. Fi 3 is a detail plan view on an enlarged scale of the multiple cam for operating the valves. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing a cam provided with three actuating faces. Fig. 5 is a face view of a portion of the same. Fig. 6 is a view in the nature of a diagram, showing the manner in which the shoes are arranged to facilitate change in position of the cam surfaces without danger of breakage.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The engine shown in the present case is of illustration is merely typical inasmuch as the invention may be applied to engines arranged in any manner and provided'with any desired number of cylinders.

The frame or base 10 carries a fixed crank shaft llhaving a centrally disposed crank in 12 and mounted for rotation on the shaft are the hollow hub members 13 of a crank casing 14. From the casing radiate a number of cylinders 15, five in the present instance, and in each of these is a trunk piston 16 connected to the crank pin by a pltman 17. At the outer end of each cylinder are inlet and exhaust ports 18, 19 respectively and these are under the control ofinwardly openlng valves 20, 21, the stems of which are connected to aoommon operating lever 22, that is pivoted on a standard 23 carried by the head of the piston. i

Leading from a carbureter or other source of sup ly is an inlet pipe 25 having a suitable thrott e valve 26. T iis pipe communicates with a central chamber 27 formed in one of the frame members and said chamber in turn communicates with a main annular supply chamber 28 from whichlead passages 29 to 1 all. of the inlet ports of the several cylinders.

' Mounted loosely on the stationary shaft 11 and free for rotative and longitudinal movement thereon is a sleeve 31 to which is secured a car wheel 32 and this sleeve also carries t e multiple valve-opening cam 33 which forms the principal feature ofthe present invention.

Projecting from the crank casing is a stud shaft 34 on which is mounted a revoluble sleeve 35 carrying two gear-wheels 36 and 37, the latter gear being in constant mesh with the gear wheel 32, while the gear 36 is in constant mesh with the gear wheel 38 that is rigidly secured to the crank shaft in any suitable way. The gear wheels 32 and 37 are of equal diameter. I The gear wheel 36 is preferably of smaller diameter than the gear wheel 38 so that for five complete revolutions of the cylinders or casing, the o erating' cam, carried by the gear wheel 32, wil have made six complete revolutions orone revolution relative to the casing. The multiple cam therefore, will rotate in the same direction as the casing but at a slightly greater speed, and will bring the operating cams carried thereby into co'operation with the valverod of first one cylinder and then another.

Projectingfrom the crank'casing is an an- 1 the five cylinder vertical shaft type, but the ell crank levers 41, one arm of eac lever forming-a shoe or riderbearing against the I desired a third may be further increased if desired.

periphery of the valve operatmg cam while the other is connected to a rod 42 which leads ulp to the valve lever 22. Each rod 42 passes t rough a guiding opening in a boss 44 rojecting from the casing and beyond the oss each rod carries an adjustable" collar 45. Between thecollar and boss the rod carries a helical compression spring 46 which tends to maintain the shoe of the bell crank lever in constant engagement withthe periphery of the multiple cam.

The cam is divided into'as many different actuating portions as may be necessary to secure the desired changes in speedand power, thus, where only high and low speed and power are desired, there are but two surfaces 33 and 33", as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Where an intermediate speed and power is actuating surface 33 c is added as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but the number Each cam surface in the present instance is divided into the three sections, the divisional lines of which may be represented by the "exhaust points 6 in Fig. 3 and thecam contour is prethat is until the lever rides up on the I manner and at the end of the to while the exhaust cisely the same between each of these points. Each section of the cam has its actuating surfaces on three radii of different extent presenting the faces e, ,s, w (Fig. 3.). The ortion 8 of the cam is at least twice the lengt of the portion to and in operation, takin one sectlon only as an example it is assumef that the shoe of the'bell cranklever has passed out of engagement with one of the high points 1 representing exhaust and that the piston is at the limit of its exhaust stroke.

'As the parts move andthe-lever asses from the pointethe bell crank lever move inward and the valve rod will move inward thereby causing the closing of the exhaust valve and the opening of the inlet valve. The inlet valve will remain open during the whole of the suction stroke during which time the lever will have traversed about one half the length of the surface s. The compression stroke now commences and the inlet valve will remain open during each portion of this stroke as maybe desired, surface to and when this occurs the lever is actuated in such a manner as to close the inlet valve, remains closed under the force of;compressed gases in the cylinder. At the completion of the compression stroke, the charge'is ignited in any ordinary stroke the lever rides over the surface e to open the exhaust, ,thus 'completing the cycle of o eration. X

It will e understood from the foregoing that the amount of explosive char e, re-

tained and compressed within the cy 'nder working depends on the length of the cam surface 8. If this surface is short, theinlet valve will be closed immediately after the starting of the com ression stroke so that the full charge will e retained and com ressed and the full power of the engine wil be brought into play. If on the other hand, this surface is of considerable length the inlet valve-will remain open for the greater portion of the com ression stroke so that a large portion of t e gases inducted into the cylinder on the suction stroke will be forced back through the inlet port to the central chamber in readiness to supply the next cylinder. The remaining portion of the charge will be compressed and the power and speed of the engine will be materially reduced. In order therefore to vary the speed and power it is necessary that the multiple cam be provided with a number of sections bearin surfaces's of different lengths and that the cam be shiftable to bring any section into operative relation with the shoes of the levers. In Fig. 1, only two sections 33 and 33" are shown one for high speed and the other for low speed.-

To accomplish the shifting of the cam, th collar 31 is provided with groove 51 into which enters a forked lever 51' that may be operated from a suitable hand lever, a governor or other device and either section of the cam may thus be brought into operative position and the speed and power varied. When an intermediate speed is desired a third section is added as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, or a greater number of sections may be employed where necessary. In shifting the cam 'there is some danger of the levers catching on the higher portions of the next adjacent'cam section and to avoid this the shoes are disposed in slightly helical relation as shown in Fig. 6, so that there will be a gradual screw like movement which will prevent breakage.

Having thus articularly described my invention, what. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. An explosive engine comprising a mixilfig chamber, and an explosive chamber, an et valve controlling t e passage between said chambers,- an exhaust valve for the explosive chamber, a stationary shaft, a

casing carrying the cylinders and revolubly mounted on said shaft, and a multiple cam having a plurality of cam sections common to both said valves, with means for shifting them longitudinally of said shaft to cause one or another of said cam sections to act upon the valves, whereby the eriod of time the inlet valve is held open d iiring the corznpfision stroke of the engine is varied. in chamber. and an ex sf.

losive chamber, an tvalve controlling t e passage between an annular explosive engine comprising a mixsaid chambers, an exhaust valve for the explosive chamber, a series of cam sections common to both said valves and means for shifting the cam sections bodily together to cause one or another to operate the valves.

3. In an internal combustion engine, a stationary shaft, a crank casing revolubly mounted thereon, cylinders extending from the casing, inlet and exhaust valves for each cylinder, a gear carried by the crank shaft projecting from the crank casing, a pair of planetar r gears carried thereby, one of which meshes with the concentric gear, a multiple valve operating cam carried by the stationary shalt and'arranged for revolubleand long1tudinal movement thereon, a gear carried by the cam and intermeshmg with the second planetary gear, bell crank levers pivoted on the crank casing and engaging said cam, and valve operating rods extending from said lovers.

4. In an internal combustion engine of the class described, cylinders, inlet and exhaust valves for said cylinders, a multiple valve.- operating cam having a plurality of sectlons of diilerent contour and a set of shoes or riders for said cam disposed on slightly helical lines.-

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

. EMILE BERLINER.

Witnesses: 

